Ronald-Ann Smith
Encyclopedia
Ronald-Ann Smith was a character in Berkeley Breathed
's comic strips Bloom County
and Outland.
Named after Ronald Reagan
, Ronald-Ann was a young African American
girl "from the wrong side of the trax" in Bloom County. Appearing late in the strip's run, Ronald-Ann was presented as a polar opposite of the kind of greedy materialism that the 1980s represented. During a conversation with Donald Trump
in Bill the Cat
's body, it was revealed that Ronald-Ann's family lived in a single broken-down room with nine beds. Her best friend was her doll Reynelda, who had no head as a result of being "caught in the crossfire during the Christmas drug turf battles".
After Bloom County ended in 1989, Ronald-Ann became the protagonist in Breathed's next syndicated strip, Outland. She is seen traveling to this realm through portals in her big city neighborhood.
Her existence in the Outland was clearly more laid-back than it had been in her Bloom County days.
Before long, though, she was overshadowed by her Bloom County compadres, such as Opus the penguin
and Bill the Cat
, among others. She faded away from Outland just months before it ended in 1995, leaving no clue as to her current whereabouts in Breathed's cartoon universe.
Berkeley Breathed
Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed is an American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director and screenwriter, best known for Bloom County, a 1980s cartoon-comic strip that dealt with sociopolitical issues as understood by fanciful characters and through humorous analogies...
's comic strips Bloom County
Bloom County
Bloom County is an American comic strip by Berkeley Breathed which ran from December 8, 1980, until August 6, 1989. It examined events in politics and culture through the viewpoint of a fanciful small town in Middle America, where children often have adult personalities and vocabularies and where...
and Outland.
Named after Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Ronald-Ann was a young African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
girl "from the wrong side of the trax" in Bloom County. Appearing late in the strip's run, Ronald-Ann was presented as a polar opposite of the kind of greedy materialism that the 1980s represented. During a conversation with Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
in Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat, or Bill D. Cat, according to the final Outland strip, is a fictional cat appearing in the works of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, beginning with the comic strip Bloom County in the 1980s and continuing in Outland and Opus in the following decades...
's body, it was revealed that Ronald-Ann's family lived in a single broken-down room with nine beds. Her best friend was her doll Reynelda, who had no head as a result of being "caught in the crossfire during the Christmas drug turf battles".
After Bloom County ended in 1989, Ronald-Ann became the protagonist in Breathed's next syndicated strip, Outland. She is seen traveling to this realm through portals in her big city neighborhood.
Her existence in the Outland was clearly more laid-back than it had been in her Bloom County days.
Before long, though, she was overshadowed by her Bloom County compadres, such as Opus the penguin
Opus the Penguin
Opus the Penguin is a character in the comic strips and children's books of Berkeley Breathed, most notably the popular 1980s strip Bloom County. Breathed has described him as an "existentialist penguin" and the favorite of his many characters...
and Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat
Bill the Cat, or Bill D. Cat, according to the final Outland strip, is a fictional cat appearing in the works of cartoonist Berkeley Breathed, beginning with the comic strip Bloom County in the 1980s and continuing in Outland and Opus in the following decades...
, among others. She faded away from Outland just months before it ended in 1995, leaving no clue as to her current whereabouts in Breathed's cartoon universe.